The first local professional sports franchise to formally honor the retired Ben Roethlisberger with a pregame ceremony won’t be the Pittsburgh Steelers. Instead, it will involve a puck.
The Pittsburgh Penguins announced Tuesday that Roethlisberger will take part in a ceremonial puck drop and be the subject of recognition prior to their March 29 home game against the New York Rangers.
Roethlisberger announced his retirement in January after 18 seasons as the Steelers’ starting quarterback. The two-time Super Bowl winner turned 40 earlier this month. He’s been spotted at Penguins games over the years, particularly during the playoffs.
In 2017 prior to Game 1 of the Stanley Cup Final, Roethlisberger was on the ice as a guest of the Penguins inciting the crowd.
Watch the @steelers Ben Roethlisberger wave a towel and pump up the @penguins crowd pic.twitter.com/gkoCUkKAKk
— Candy Woodall (@candynotcandace) May 30, 2017
In a release announcing their plans, the Penguins encouraged fans to “bring their Terrible Towels” to the March 29 game. Faceoff for the Tuesday game is scheduled for 7 p.m.
The Penguins announced five other promotions for home games over the final six weeks of their regular season: a hat giveaway for the March 22 game against Columbus, a rally towel April 9 vs. Washington, a “Hockey Talks” bandana April 14 against the New York Islanders, a t-shirt April 21 vs. Boston and the annual “Fan appreciation night” April 29 vs. Columbus.
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